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FRESNO STATE ADVANCES TO 23RD NCAA REGIONAL The 16th-ranked Fresno State softball team opens NCAA Tournament play as the No. 3 seed when the Bulldogs meet No. 6 seed Southern Illinois at 10:00 a.m. (PDT) in Stanford, Calif.
Making its NCAA record-setting 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bulldogs are coming off their seventh Western Athletic Conference title in nine years and enter postseason play with a 47-18 overall record while winning of 22 of its last 28 games.
Head coach Margie Wright is directing the Bulldog softball program to its 19th straight NCAA showing as she enters postseason play with a 62-32 mark, including a national championship title in 1998.
FRESNO STATE AT REGIONALS Fresno State has now advanced to 23rd consecutive NCAA Championships. The Bulldogs are 45-22 (.672) in regional play and 62-32 (.660) overall in NCAA Tournament play under 19th-year head coach Margie Wright. Fresno State is looking for its 13th NCAA Regional title as the Bulldogs last appeared in the WCWS in 1999.
Last season, the Bulldogs host a regional that also featured UCLA, the eventual National Champions. Fresno State lost its first game of the regional to the eventual champions, 3-0. The Bulldogs rebounded behind the arm of Jamie Southern to defeat the other Bulldogs from Georgia, 1-0 in eight innings. Fresno State lost to Michigan State, 2-0, to end the 2003 season. The last two seasons, the Bulldogs have played the eventual national champions in the first game of regionals, facing California in 2002 and UCLA in 2003.
THE OPPONENTS Fresno State has played instate rivals No. 4-seeded Pacific and top-seeded Stanford numerous times in regular-season play. The Bulldogs also have faced the Cardinal and the Tigers in postseason action. They are 5-3 versus the Tigers and 1-0 against the Cardinal. Stanford swept the Bulldogs in a doubleheader at home on March 24.
The Bulldogs have never faced No. 2 seed Auburn or No. 7 Hofstra. This is the second time in three years Auburn has earned a regional bid.
No. 8 Utah is one of only two teams in the championship with a losing record (23-31), capturing the Mountain West title. Fresno State is 31-10 against the Utes with both teams playing in the WAC until 1999. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs defeated Utah, 3-2. Fresno State is 1-0 against No. 5 seed Southern Mississippi, defeating the Eagles 1-0 in 1999.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Fresno State is 2-0 against Southern Illinois, defeating the Salukis twice in 1999. Southern Illinois is 42-15 heading into the postseason. SIU is coming off a loss in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. In regionals last season, the Salukis were 3-2 and reaching the Region VIII title game (a 2-0 loss to Alabama). Prior to the consecutive NCAA tournament trips, the Salukis last went to the NCAA's in 1991, going 0-2. SIU also went to a regional in 1977 and 1978.
This season, Southern Illinois played in one of Hawaiis home tournaments, the Malihini Tournament. The Salukis ended their stay in Honolulu with a 2-1 record. Fresno State was 3-1 against the Rainbow Wahine this season. SIU also lost to Long Beach State, 2-1, in the tournament. Fresno State defeated Long Beach State 4-0 this season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK Fresno State's Jamie Southern was named the WAC Player. Southern is earning her first Player of the Week honor after taking four Pitcher of the Week honors this season.
Southern, a junior from Clovis, Calif., (Clovis), helped the Bulldogs notch their eighth mercy run-rule victory of the year after going 4-4 with four runs and three RBI in two games. She also added two home runs in the Bulldogs 13-0, five-inning win over Nevada in game one. Southern set and/or tied career- and season-best marks in total bases (10), runs (4), hits (4) and home runs (2) against the Wolf Pack in the first game. She hit back-to-back home runs in consecutive at bats (2nd and 3rd inning). The two long balls hit was her second multiple home run game of the season and third of her career, tying her career-best mark of 8 home runs hit in a year, she moved up to No. 5 in school history with 17.
Other player of the week nominees included: Brittany Lorenzen, Nevada and Angela Osbon, Tulsa.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Nevada's Tiffany Hoeft was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week. Southern is earning her first Player of the Week honor after taking four Pitcher of the Week honors this season. This is the first pitcher of the week honor for Hoeft.
Hoeft, a freshman from Redding, Calif. (Shasta), pitched a complete-game, one-run victory over 16th-ranked Fresno State Saturday to move to 14-9 on the season. The freshman from Redding gave up just the one run in helping Nevada to its first win over a top 25 program in the two years since reviving the softball program.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Jamie Southern, Fresno State and Maren Genow, Tulsa.
TULSA COMPLETES ITS TRIPLE CROWN Tulsa led the league in hitting, ERA and fielding percentage. The Golden Hurricane is the first to lead in all three categories since Fresno State in 1999. Tulsa ended the season hitting .281 with a 1.35 ERA and a .974 fielding percentage.
CAREER RECORDS Tulsa pitcher Maren Genow is now second in the WAC in career saves with eight. She had six this season and is now just two behind the WACs career leader in saves Amanda Scott of Fresno State who had 10.
Fresno States Jamie Southern is first in the WAC in career strikeouts with 1,024. She is also currently first in ERA with a 0.48 career ERA and first in strikeouts per seven innings (8.38). Southerns 89 wins places her tied for second. Christina Clark currently has 37 career home runs which places her tied for third in just two seasons.
FRESNO STATE CLINCHES WAC TITLE Despite losing a doubleheader to Tulsa, Fresno State clinched its seventh WAC title. The Bulldogs, 19-3, last won a WAC regular season title in 2002. Last season, Hawaii captured its first title. With the regular season crown, Fresno State earns the WAC's automatic bid. Fresno State has advanced to 23-straight NCAA Regionals. The regular-season title is the program's 18th overall as head coach Margie Wright collects her 14th overall at Fresno State.
SINGLE-GAME HIGHS The 14-inning marathon between Nevada and Hawaii on April 24 was the longest game of the season. Fresno States Jamie Southern holds the single-game high for strikeouts in a game, striking out 15 twice this season against Texas A&M on Feb. 15 and Campbell on Mar. 8. Offensively, Louisiana Techs Alison White leads the WAC with her seven RBI in a win over Jackson State on Feb. 7. Fresno States Christina Clark leads the league in total bases in a game with 12 against Hawaii on April 10. Clark also set the WAC record with three home runs in a game against the Rainbow Wahine on April 10.
BETTER THAN EVER Four WAC teams have already past last seasons league game win total. Last season, WAC Champion Fresno State ended the WAC season, 14-4. This year, the Bulldogs are 20-4. With the addition of UTEP, there are four more WAC games for a total of 24. Tulsa was 8-12 in league games last year, and were 16-5 this season. First-year program Nevada was 5-15 last season, and was 13-11 during its sophomore campaign. Finally, Louisiana Tech was 10-11 in league play after winning only six WAC games last season.
Overall, Tulsa has had a big improvement. Last season, the Tulsa was 34-29 (.540). This seasons club is 43-18 with three wins over ranked teams. Nevada is 10 games over .500 this season with two games remaining (38-28). Last season, the Wolf Pack was 22-35.
SOUTHERN REACHES 1,000 STRIKEOUTS Fresno States Jamie Southern became the 22nd NCAA Division I player to have 1,000 or more career strikeouts. She accomplished the feat in the Bulldogs 3-0 victory over UTEP on April 15. In the first game of the doubleheader, Southern struck out 10 to move her career total to 1,005. Tallying 25 strikeouts in four appearances last week, her career total stands at 1,024, which places her No. 21 all-time in NCAA Division I history. In a 15-day span in the month of April, five current Division I hurlers have reached the 1,000 career strikeout plateau. Southern is the only junior. She and four other senior right-handed pitchers have eclipsed the 1,000 mark.
CLARK CONTINUES TO REWRITE WAC RECORDS Christina Clark is the first Bulldog and WAC player to hit 22 home runs in a season. She also broke WACs single-season record for most home runs in conference play with 10, breaking Hawaiis Stacey Porter, who hit nine in 2003. After hitting her second grand slam of the year and third of her career against UTEP on May 1, Clark is the second Bulldog to hit two grand slams in a season as four-time All-American and 2000 USA Olympic softball alternate Amanda Scott belted two on the road in 1998 against Oklahoma and New Mexico. Hitting three long balls in the Bulldogs' game one 5-2 win against Hawaii on April 10, she also set a new Fresno State and league record for most home runs (3) in a contest. The old WAC mark was two by several different players, most recently in 2003 (Nevada's Lindsey Hall and Fresno State's Lori Hoffman).
AGAINST THE BEST The WAC is 12-33 against non-conference ranked teams so far this season. Hawaii was 2-6 against ranked teams. Hawaii had two wins with wins against Oregon State and DePaul. The Rainbow Wahine also had a losses to Tennessee, No. 4 California and most recently two road games to the Cardinal. Fresno State is 8-7 against ranked teams with its most recent wins coming against No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 13 Pacific. The Bulldogs also have wins against South Carolina, Arizona State and Texas to name a few. Fresno State has losses against No. 2 UCLA, No. 1 Arizona, No. 4 Florida State and No. 12 Stanford.
Louisiana Tech was 0-7 with a loss most recently to No. 7 Louisiana-Lafayette. The Lady Techsters also had losses to then-No. 12 Louisiana-Lafayette and another instate rival No. 13 LSU. The Lady Techsters also lost twice to Tennessee. Nevada lost to both No. 3 Arizona and No. 23 Arizona State. The Wolf Pack had also lost a pair of games to Louisiana-Lafayette. San Jose State had played the toughest schedule this season. The Spartans were 1-7 with six losses to teams in the top 10, including Stanford, Alabama and California. San Jose States win came against Long Beach State. Tulsa also has a loss to Alabama and a win against Oklahoma.
UTEP had lost to UCLA, Georgia Tech and No. 13 Tennessee. The Golden Hurricane was 1-2 with a win and a loss to Oklahoma and a loss to Alabama.
ON THE BASEPATHS Fresno State freshman Nichole Willis has put together one of the top defensive seasons by a Bulldog catcher. With 424 putouts and 460 total chances, the WAC Freshman of the Year currently ranks No. 5 in both putouts and No. 6 in chances for single-season play by a catcher at Fresno State. Shasta Lewis has put together a strong season at first base. With 523 putouts and 22 assists, Lewis has played the ball 556 times, a mark that ranks eighth-most in single-season school history. In addition, her 523 putouts also puts her to eighth in the Fresno State single-season record book. As a result, Lewis is just the fourth Bulldog first baseman to tally 500 putouts as well as recording more than 540 total chances in a single-season at Fresno State.
Hawaii closed out the 2004 campaign spliting a WAC doubleheader with San Jose State. The Spartans took the opener, 5-1, before the Rainbow Wahine took the nightcap, 3-1. Hawaii finishes its season at 28-33 overall and 10-14 in the WAC. After losing power hitters Kate Judd and Stacey Porter, the Rainbow Wahine struggled at times this season. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine were WAC Champions and finished with a 40-20 record, advancing to regionals. This season, Hawaii ended the season 28-33. Porter, who is playing for the Australian Olympic team, should return to the Rainbow Wahine for her senior season next year.
Louisiana Tech had four players earn all-WAC honors, Mary Cohn, Amber Miles, Bridget Broadnax and Brittany Stanley. That is the most Lady Techsters to win all-WAC honors since they joined the league for the 2002 season. The four Louisiana Tech players helped lead the Lady Techsters to a 27-33 record this season, including a 10-11 mark in league play. The 27 wins were an 11 game improvement over last season and the fourth-place finish was the highest since becoming a member of the WAC.
Nevada sophomore Candice Rainwater became the third Wolf Pack player to earn all-WAC honors. She also led the team with a .330 batting average, added four home runs for second-best on the team, knocked in 25 runs for third (tie) on the squad and had the second-highest slugging percentage with a .495 listing. Nevada finished the season 38-28 and 13-11 in the WAC for third-place in just their second year back as a varsity sport. The 38 wins is a school record and the squad set 10 other marks during the season.
San Jose State sophomore shortstop Carlie Hill was named to the all-WAC second team, the only Spartan representative. Hill led the Spartans in hitting in WAC games only with a .321 batting average. In 24 WAC games, she had 17 hits, nine runs scored and eight RBI. Overall, Hill hit .276 with 32 hits, 17 runs scored and 11 RBI. She had a .388 slugging percentage and a .323 on-base percentage.
UTEP will concluded its first ever season with a 8-46 record, 1-21 in league play. The Miners ended the season last in the league in hitting (.213) and last in the league in ERA (4.66). UTEP won its lone WAC game against Nevada on April 29 at home. The win over the Wolf Pack was the Miners last win.
Tulsa sophomore Maren Genow broke the school record for wins in a season with 22. She remained undefeated in WAC play with a 10-0 record to go along with three saves. Genow also ended the season with six saves. She now has eight career saves which ties puts her in second in the WAC in career saves. She needs only four more saves to break the WAC career record held by Fresno States Amanda Scott. The Golden Hurricane ended the season with 45 wins. It is the second time in three years that Tulsa has ended the season with at least 45 wins. In 2002, Tulsa had 48 wins to set the school record.
WAC ADDS NEW MEXICO STATE AND UTAH STATE On Oct. 23, 2003, the WAC issued invitations to New Mexico State and Utah State effective July 1, 2005, the same date that Rice, SMU and Tulsa are moving to Conference USA. In softball, Utah State is 10-41 this season. New Mexico State is 14-49. The Aggies have four wins over UTEP and a loss to San Jose State.